Your sacred subway prewalking rituals may be paying off: according to numbers crunched by the MTA on F and L trains, the most crowded subway car is the the one in the front. The smelliest? Whichever one holds that person who uses the only six square inches of free space on the train to bust open a bag of McDonald's. more ›

During his speech this morning, Mayor Bloomberg warned that mass transit may not be back online by Monday morning. Officials have decided to shut down the MTA starting at noon today because of the imminent arrival of Hurricane Irene. And although it may not be the first thing on your mind right now, it's important to note that despite the MTA being shutdown, you won't be getting any of that back on your unlimited Metrocards. more ›

Months before the MTA implements widespread transit cuts, the cash-strapped agency has been staffing fewer back-up drivers and reducing bus service as a way to save money, according to union officials and bus drivers. For the past two months, the agency has been cutting costs by lowering the number of subs available when other drivers call in sick—meaning in some instances there aren't enough drivers to complete all of the scheduled bus trips, amNY reports. more ›

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The MTA board voted 11-2 to approve far-reaching service cuts that will eliminate the W and V trains and cut more than 30 bus lines in an attempt to plug a revenue shortfall of $750 million. Despite some alterations to the planned cuts drafted after a series of contentious public hearings, the service reductions closely mirror those proposed last year. more ›

Despite promising to not raise fares until next year, MTA board members are considering increasing the cost of MetroCards in an attempt to balance a budget that will still come up short by $378 million even after service cuts. "In view of the reaction we got to the service reductions we have out there, I think that asking most board members if they'd rather see more service cuts or a fare increase, I think, at the moment, many would pick a fare increase," said one board member. more ›

As the MTA faces a crushing financial shortfall that could cause service cuts and fare hikes, the new president of MTA NYC Transit revealed his plans to repaint and refurbish eight recently-renovated subway stations that he says have fallen into disrepair. "I don't want to say that because of our budget issues, we can't make improvements," said Thomas Prendergast. "There's room for improvement, and I honestly think we can do it." more ›

The MTA isn't the only transit agency pondering fare hikes. According to WCBS, NJ Transit officials claim they might need to increase fares if Gov. Chris Christie moves forward with his plan to cut $32 million in funding. Facing a $2.2 billion budget deficit, Christie says he has to reduce funding and suggested NJ Transit negotiate with unions before upping fares. NJ Transit executive director James Weinstein told ABC: "I pledge to our fareholders that we will look at everything possible on the cost side of the equation before we talk about imposing burdens on the riders of our system." The fare hike would be agency's the second in three years. more ›

Members of the state Assembly called the MTA "disgusting and immoral" for planning to eliminate free student MetroCards as part of a package of transit cuts intended to plug a major budget shortfall. "Simply stated, we ask that you immediately withdraw the threat to student fares," wrote Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) and 18 other politicians in a letter sent to the MTA board. more ›

The long-awaited and long-delayed World Trade Center transit hub is running behind schedule again. According to a Federal Transit Administration report, the $3.2 billion train station only has a 25 percent chance of being finished by its mid-2014 deadline—a date set when it became clear the project couldn't be finished by its intended 2011 deadline. more ›

Unless lawmakers can come up with new ways to fund the MTA, the transit agency might be forced to raise its base fare to $2.60 and increase the cost of unlimited monthly MetroCards to more than $100, according to a new study. The report reveals that even if the MTA implements far-reaching service cuts this year and ups fares by the planned 7.5 percent next year, it would still fall short of balancing its budget without additional funding. more ›

To clear snow from outdoor subway lines during this week's winter storm, the MTA brought out the heavy artillery: A five-car diesel train outfitted with a high-powered snow blower than can launch snow as far as 200 feet from tracks. Using a six-foot cylindrical brush, the train sweeps snow into a metal tube and hurls it out of a chute so it doesn't block the tracks, according to the Daily News. "It's like your household snow blower but a million times bigger," said agency engineer Edward Macina. more ›

In order to avoid far-reaching subway cuts that would eliminate the M and W lines and cause trains to become less frequent and more crowded, the MTA needs about $18 million—the same amount a deadbeat advertising company owes the transit agency. An MTA audit revealed that Titan Outdoor Holdings has come up short on its monthly payments for almost a year, but the MTA is afraid that recouping the money might bankrupt the company, causing the agency to net even less revenue. more ›

Under Gov. Paterson's plan to rescue the MTA from a $400 million budget shortfall, New York City businesses would see a payroll tax increase by 59 percent, surging from .34 percent for every $100 of payroll to .54 percent. Meanwhile, the payroll tax in suburban areas would be cut in half. more ›

As MTA megaprojects including the Second Avenue Subway and the 7 train expansion have fallen behind schedule and gone up in cost, salaries and staff at the department in charge of overseeing such projects have increased for five years straight. Under the guidance of the MTA Capital Construction department, the price of major developments has surged and setbacks have become commonplace—yet the department has grown from 39 employees in 2004 to 151 in 2009, and its payroll has ballooned by $10.6 million. more ›

With the MTA facing a $400 million budget gap—even if it implements "Doomsday" service cuts and a 7.5 percent fare hike—Mayor Bloomberg warned straphangers yesterday that commuting will likely become more tedious, more expensive, or both. According to the Post, the Mayor said state legislators must "come up with some ways to fund the MTA, or the MTA is either going to have to raise rates dramatically or cut back service dramatically—or, what's more likely, some combination of the two," more ›

Thanks to plummeting tax revenues, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to face a $400 million budget shortfall—even if it implements drastic service cuts that would terminate bus lines and subway routes and nix free Metrocards for students. So what, if anything, could be worse than the already-proposed "Doomsday" cuts? more ›

A 35-year-old man was killed by a No. 5 train just before 10 a.m. this morning, according to City Room. The victim was pinned between the train and the tracks at Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue station, where police say there was no evidence of foul play. EMS was called, and power was cut to the tracks but by the time the man could be transported to Brooklyn Hospital Center, he was already in grave condition. Doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. more ›

There was a 17% spike last year in the number of summonses issued to subway riders who occupy more than one seat. Between January and November 2009, transit police issued 8,700 tickets to commuters who exceeded their legally mandated one seat allotment, either through reclining or foot-propping or bag-resting. That's 1,300 more tickets than they issued for the offense in the same time period in 2008, and it stands in contrast to a decline or plateau in subway summonses in every other category. Seat hogging is punishable by a $50 fine, but many commuters say they're being ticketed during late-night commutes in mostly empty trains. more ›

Students: If you want to keep getting free MetroCards, it might be time to start planning a really big bake sale. Under the proposed "Doomsday" service cuts, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will eliminate free student MetroCards unless it can come up with $214 million, the Daily News reports. more ›

Yesterday, low voltage readings on train tracks in NJ forced Amtrak and NJ Transit to suspend service for three hours during the morning rush hour on a pre-Christmas Eve travel day. According to the NY Times, "The partial shutdown began about 8:30 a.m., disrupting an estimated 100 trains — about 20 from Amtrak and about 80 from New Jersey Transit." Though service was back up by noon, there were delays of 60-90 minutes in the late afternoon. more ›

Hundreds of Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers responsible for repairing above-ground subway tracks have been getting paid for eight-hour shifts, even though they actually spend only four hours per day working. more ›

If you've had to cut the gym from your budget, Urlesque reminds us that we're all already paying for an on-the-go workout space: the subway. They've compiled some videos of subway exercise methods from cities all over — the best and most comprehensive one can be found here. more ›

As more and more New Yorkers are using bikes to commute and the city continues its massive — and at times controversial — push to expand its network of bike lanes, the Daily News examines the city's 650 miles of cycling routes and names its favorites. Among other selections, the tabloid's biking experts dub Ninth Avenue's protected bike lane between 16th Street and 31st Street as the city's "Safest," the Bleecker Street lane in the Village as the "Commuter's Choice," and the cycling routes on Ninth and Tenth streets as having the "Best-looking Crowd" because they are used by "hotties cutting through the Village and NYU's campus." Funny, because we thought all of the cycling hotties were using the lanes in South Williamsburg.
more ›

The MTA is considering rolling out bus-only lanes on First and Second avenues that the agency says might shorten commutes between Houston Street and 125th Street. The "East Side speedway" could be laid down by September 2010, and the agency is planning to stock up on "dozens of super-stretch buses for the new service," the Daily News reports. more ›

The MTA's $200 million plan to install countdown clocks at all numbered train line stations is moving forward, though it's already running slightly behind schedule, the Times reports. By the end of next month, MTA NYC Transit will start the clocks at the Longwood Avenue, Brook Avenue and East 149th Street 6 train stations in the Bronx, but the installation of the timepieces in the remaining 152 numbered stations won't be completed until April 2011 — despite previous reports of a December 2010 finish. more ›

Anecdotal evidence suggests that transit police have been cracking down on musicians and other performers busking in the subway system—even though the MTA's own rules permit low-volume performance under certain conditions. A number of musicians and a busker advocacy group tell amNY that "police harassment has grown to disturbing levels in recent months." more ›